AEM CAI - Torque Loss

[30yr_old_fogey]

Have you noticed on the AEM CAI dyno, there is up to a 5 ft-lbs loss in torque below 3500 rpm? A small decrease in horsepower also.(see attached file - AEM-CAI-XRS.pdf)The INJEN CAI dyno results show little to no loss in torque or hp.( http://www.injen.com/webpages/testing/o ... rd2075.jpg I don't have a cold air intake yet. But, I surely don't want to LOSE any of my precious low-end torque when I do get one.Anyone have insight or personal knowledge here?Thanks,Bryan

Attached files AEM-CAI-XRS.pdf (87.3 KB) 

[lordyogi]

You know what, I installed the AEM cold air and took 2 tenths off of the time it is supposed to run stock. If you learn how to launch the car at high RPM you dont notice a loss, it adds high end which is where you launch. BTW, it may lose low because it leans out the mixture a little but when the MAF reads more Oxygen comin in at higher rpm it richens up and sends more fuel and you go faster, the dyno charts on the AEM show 15 peak hp increase at the WHEELS. The Injen only shows 9hp, thats how much peak torque increases with the AEM. I go by numbers and the fact that i have ran at the track with the AEM and ran faster so dont worry about low end torque loss in a car that revs to 8200.plus, look at the dyno chart for Injen they also have TRD exhaust on the matrix and the gain is still low. The AEM is just intake.yogi

[mu_ohio]

quote:You know what, I installed the AEM cold air and took 2 tenths off of the time it is supposed to run stock. If you learn how to launch the car at high RPM you dont notice a loss, it adds high end which is where you launch. BTW, it may lose low because it leans out the mixture a little but when the MAF reads more Oxygen comin in at higher rpm it richens up and sends more fuel and you go faster, the dyno charts on the AEM show 15 peak hp increase at the WHEELS. The Injen only shows 9hp, thats how much peak torque increases with the AEM. I go by numbers and the fact that i have ran at the track with the AEM and ran faster so dont worry about low end torque loss in a car that revs to 8200.plus, look at the dyno chart for Injen they also have TRD exhaust on the matrix and the gain is still low. The AEM is just intake.yogiIsn't incorrectly misquoting something against the agreement of being on the web site? The Injen has an increase of 12 hp at peak while the AEM has 9 hp. The AEM states a max increase of 15 hp but that is after peak and around 8000 rpms. Max hp with Injen 169 and 167 with the AEM. The TRD exhaust has shown little if no gain so you can take a 2 hp off the Injen rating which is inline with AEM.

[lordyogi]

so i misread the dyno sheet, im not in violation of the website agreement by making a mistake, either way you bought what you bought for your reasons, i bought what i did for mine. I know the results i got with the timeslip to prove it, and in our cars it behooves you to run a little into the red where the increas is, just so that you can keep the car into the longer lift duration, so it may not be PEAK, but the increase still stands.yogi

[30yr_old_fogey]

So, with AEM at a peak of 167 hp and INJEN at a peak of 167 hp(assuming the TRD exaust's is a 2hp gain for the Vibe), and both peak at 122.4 ft-lbs, they seem to be equal up in the power band.But, it seems AEM causes a 5 ft-lbs decrease in torque in the daily-driving RPM range, and INJEN does not.Not a huge deal, but I just don't like the idea of loss in torque/hp anywhere when I buy a performance product...I'm not affiliaated with AEM of INJEN, or anyone else for that matter, I just like to make my decisions based on real-world test results, and not heresay or marketing claims.Thanks for listening,Bryan

[lordyogi]

I totally understand, to me i wanted top end performance for goin to the track thats why i chose the aem. Even though there is a little low end loss, for me anyway its unnoticeable. I know our cars have no torque, and losing more is bad, but unless you are towing or tryin for serious ET's i wouldnt worry about it. If you can find a NON-FI DOHC four-banger that has a lot of torque and hp please let me know cuz i would love to put it into my car.yogi

[savedbyzero]

I haven't noticed any loss w/ my AEM. This could be an ongoing arguement for a long time. I say to each his own. Get what looks good to you. I got the AEM, because at the time, it was like $40 cheaper than the injen. Used the money to put towards springs.

[Lorin]

My exhaust "fixed" the torque/power problems between 2-4K. But it felt like it would run out of breath at around 4200 rpm. The CAI more or less picked up where the exhaust mod left off.

[Stang2Vibe]

quote:If you can find a NON-FI DOHC four-banger that has a lot of torque and hp please let me know cuz i would love to put it into my car.yogiI believe that GM's old Iron Duke from the early to mid 1980's would fit the description with a few mods. But it wasn't a DOHC engine. And I think it was a Quad-4, so fitting it in the Vibe could be a bit of a squeeze. A 2.5 L Quad-4 engine is pretty wide. They last forever, though. My dad had one in his 1981 Pontiac Phoenix that my mom later sold to my grandma. It got passed through the family a few times. My uncle is a mechanic who sold the car to two other parties since my family owned it, and as far as I know, it is still running. One of the owners banked it on a concrete median which ruined the tranny. He sold it back to my uncle and he put a rebuilt tranny in it. It ran until the rebuilt tranny went. Put in another rebuilt tranny and sold it again. As best as we know, it's still running. 3 tranny's and over 200,000 miles now on an American 4-banger. So much for no American engines lasting a long time.

[Cubanpete]

I will also testify on Quad4, I had it on a 1987 Oldsmobile Calais, I remember some hotrod magazine at the time had the quad 4 doing about 400-450 HP. I liked that engine but at the time that car was hit by some guy while I had it parked in the winter, he devastated the car...I was obligated to sell it.

[DABEAR95]

I owned a 90 Olds Cutlass Calais with the 2.5L engine. It was the lame version with TBI (no power). Very reliable!!

[savedbyzero]

I believe there is H.O. Quad 4. The j-body guys are scrounging for these all the time. I bleive it wieghed in at 180 hp and about 160 ft/lbs of torque. You can find it in the Achieva S, I believe is the labeling. Also, the Berretta GTU, i thin had this motor. Could be wrong. They're out there. Just gotta look hard for them. You can identify them by there valve cover. It has H.O. (high output) stamped on it beside the quad 4.